According to Doris Leuthard, there is no plan B in the event of a Yes to No-Billag

It is not a question of more or less SRG, but of the existence of SRG and many other radio and TV stations, Leuthard told the media in Bern on Monday. According to Leuthard, there is no plan B if the initiative is accepted. "Plan B is to liquidate the SRG," said the media minister in response to a corresponding question. The initiative cannot be implemented in any other way - "half-baked" - because the text is clear: the initiative demands that the reception fee for radio and television be abolished. The federal government should no longer subsidize radio and TV stations.

Commercial financing unrealistic

Leuthard noted that in Switzerland, a small country with four national languages, the programs could not be financed by advertising and sponsorship alone. If the fees were abolished, even more advertising money would flow abroad than is already the case today because the audience would disappear.

The initiators are also aware that commercial financing is unrealistic. They are now bringing other ideas into play, such as the cantons stepping into the breach. In doing so, they are throwing sand in the eyes of voters, as the cantons are not responsible under the constitution. Apart from that, it is unclear how they would raise the necessary money.

Pay-TV would be more expensive

For Leuthard, it is clear that a Yes to the initiative would lead to a clear cut. Switching to pay TV may be an option for some. But the question is whether everyone could afford it, the media minister noted. She calculated that subscriptions to Netflix and My Sports or Teleclub Sport would cost viewers more.

Leuthard also noted that pay TV only offers content that is profitable. The fee-financed channels, on the other hand, offer a wide range of content on politics, business, culture and sport. They had to provide factual, diverse and comprehensive reporting. "Nowhere in Europe is radio and TV left to the market," said Leuthard. "And with good reason."

Danger for democracy

For a small-scale, multilingual country like Switzerland with its direct democracy, a diverse media offering is particularly important in the view of the Federal Council. The government argues that a Yes to the No Billag initiative would damage media diversity and the formation of opinion.

The influence of private donors and foreign corporations would increase. This would also increase the risk of political influence. The state has a role to play here, said Leuthard. She also emphasized the importance of the SRG for film and music production in Switzerland.

Lower fees from 2019

Media and the public media service must be discussed - and they are being discussed, emphasized the Media Minister. Work on the new media law is underway. Among other things, this should regulate what the SRG is allowed to do on the Internet. The "fee issue", on the other hand, has already been settled. Today, the reception fee for households is CHF 451 per year. With the switch to a general fee, the amount will fall to CHF 365 from 2019.

Companies pay a graduated levy based on turnover. Because the trade association takes issue with this, it decided to vote in favor of the No Billag initiative. Leuthard recalled that the electorate had approved the model. She said that she missed the trade association's understanding of democracy. The economy also benefited from the public service. In addition, three quarters of companies would not have to pay anything with the new model.

Local radio stations also at risk

In addition to SRG, 21 local radio stations and 13 regional TV stations receive money from the fee pot. The revenue from the reception fee amounted to around CHF 1.37 billion in 2016. At CHF 1.24 billion, the largest share went to the SRG. Local radio stations and regional TV received CHF 61 million.

At SRG, the fee accounts for around 75% of the budget. Commercial income covers 22% of the costs of SRG's information services. Even for major events, advertising revenue only accounts for a small proportion of financing, for example 9% for the broadcast of the 2017 World Ski Championships in St. Moritz. (SDA)